A Better Future
by SosaLola
Summary: 22 year old Xander goes 7 years back in time to meet his 16 year old self, hoping to make a difference.


**Title:** A Better Future

**Author:** Farah M

**Character:** Xander 

**Rating:** For all ages

**Setting:** For older-Xander this takes place after Empty Places in season seven. For younger-Xander it takes place after Teacher's Pet in season one. 

**Notes:** This is written for Wolfie's challenge, "So I said to myself, 'Self,' I said."

**Disclaimer:** They belong to Joss and co.

**Distribution:** Want it? Yay! Just let me know first.

Great, big, enormous thanks to Mera for putting up with me and for the great beta.

……….

**A Better Future.**

"Why don't you just go to that whore of yours!"

Xander's eye flew open. He blinked to clear the fog in his vision. It was too dim, he could barely see.

"If I had a whore, do you think I'll be here listening to your shit!"

"Screw you!"

"Like I'd want it from the likes of you!"

Xander was done blinking once he realized that his little spell had worked. He grinned looking at the old bright clothes that surrounded him. He had just materialized in his former messy bedroom closet. Hopefully, no one would notice his absence until he returned. Well, with everything happening in his original timeline, he was sure no one would.

Trying to stand up in the small overcrowded closet, he quickly fell down again as the sharp shriek slammed into his ears, "Get outta here!"

Xander patted his ears, checking if they still worked. "I'm Xander," he whispered before smiling satisfied that he could still hear.

"Oh, I will!" A harsh bang at the door was heard.

"My happy parents, how I missed them," he muttered.

He made his way out of the small closet and found a figure lying on the bed. The boy wasn't aware of him yet, what with the comic book he had in his hands blocking Xander from his view and the headphones in his ears preventing him from hearing his movements.

He walked towards the bed, and peered down at the boy with a huge grin. The kid jerked with a yelp throwing the comic away.

Xander smirked.

Struggling to take off the headphones with little success, the boy yelled through the loud music roaring in his ears, "Who the hell are you?"

Xander calmly reached and removed the headphones from the protesting youth. 

"Uh, thanks." He looked at Xander uncertainly. "Are you an uncle who just got out of jail or something?"

Xander thought it would be fun to play a little with the boy's head. Once his face brightened at the idea, it slowly changed into a grimace when he realized that he had a time limit. The teen looked on warily as Xander's facial expression changed.

"No," Xander answered. "And since I have no time, I'm gonna make this short. I'm you."

"When you were my age," younger Xander added carefully.

"No, well, yes, but I'm still you. Do you get it?"

The kid shook his head.

Xander sighed patiently. "I'm Xander Harris. I'm you from the future."

"The future. Right. Uh, do I look like I was born yesterday?" younger Xander asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I knew this was coming," Xander muttered, annoyed. "Look, I'm not lying. Uh…" He started thinking about the little things he used to do when he was sixteen that he and he alone knew about. "You still sit in the bathtub, naked, and hold that blue soap to…"

The teen yelped. "How did you know that!"

"Coz I'm you, you moron!"

They regarded each other for a moment. Younger Xander looked him all over. "So that's how I'll look like years ahead in the future?" His eyes landed on Xander's eye patch. "That… that's real?" 

Xander nodded with a bitter smile.

Younger Xander's mouth fell open. "Awesome," he whispered in awe.

Xander's brow rose in amazement at the unexpected reaction. His younger version jumped standing next to him, his hand touched Xander's large upper arm. "Are those muscles?" he asked with enthusiasm. 

"Uh… yeah, listen, I must tell you something…"

"Man, I'm all big!" An excited gleam appeared in the youth's pleased eyes.

"Look, I want…"

"Cool! Wait 'til Larry sees me all…"

"Would you just shut up!" Xander yelled, exasperated. "God, you're annoying."

The kid 'actually' pouted. "You sound just like Giles," he mumbled.

"I do? Uh… never mind, listen, did you have Halloween after Buffy came to town?"

"No, she just enrolled a month ago."

"Good. Look, next Halloween, you'll be possessed with a soldier spirit. After the spell wears off, those soldier memories will still be there. You'll know procedure, ordnance, access codes, everything. You can even put together an M-16 in 57 seconds."

Younger Xander's eyes were huge and bright and he beamed from ear to ear.

"Yeah, cool," Xander agreed. "But it'll not be so cool when they begin to fade. Look I want you to take advantage of them while they're still in your head. Work on improving your military skills so once the commando memories wear off, you'll still have the skills and knowledge from learning. Are able to do that?"

Younger Xander looked at him nervously, which had to do with Xander's determined expression. Xander placed his hands on his younger self's shoulders. "Please, promise me you will. This… this will hopefully make a difference… give us all a better future." Make the people they had lost alive and safe, make the wounds they had gained fade away.

The boy looked at him and nodded seriously.

Xander smiled. "Okay, now I'll wait 'til I go poof."

Younger Xander blinked. "That's it? You went back in time just to tell me this?"

Xander smiled sheepishly. "Well, yeah."

"Isn't there something else? I know me. Me will not last all these years without doing something stupid. I'm sure."

'Oh, you don't know half of it,' Xander thought before he shook his head. "The only thing I want is for you to contribute more to the group. Other than that, I want nothing from you." With a smile, he turned and walked to the closet as if it were some kind of time machine. He thought it was for the best that he didn't tell the kid about the mistakes he was going to make. Let him learn from them like Xander had done. Besides, it wasn't like he had killed anyone. Right?

Xander suddenly swerved around, startling his younger version. "One more thing. Magic? Never use it. Understood?"

Still wide eyed, the teen nodded quickly. 

Xander nodded, satisfied, and headed back to the closet. 

"Uh … Older-me …?"

He turned around to face the boy. Younger Xander shifted, looking unsure, before he spoke, "I was wondering…" He eyed Xander with hesitation. 

"What is it?"

"Buffy…" the boy trailed off.

Xander frowned. "What about her?"

"Um… I guess you remember this… or not, depending on the future. But she kinda has the hots for this older guy, Angel, who I can guarantee is a big perv with the way he keeps stalking her." The boy grimaced in irritation before his face abruptly brightened. "Will he be eaten by a vampire?" He looked at Xander optimistically. 

Xander blinked. "Have I traveled this far to the past?"

"Huh?"

"Nothing, what were you saying?"

"Buffy… will I get her?"

Xander stared at his sixteen year old version for awhile. Younger Xander looked at him anxiously. He appeared worried when Xander took awhile to answer.

"Yes," he replied softly with a sad smile.

The youth's face lit up and he bounced gleefully. He looked like he was about to do a happy dance but Xander disappeared before he got a chance to find out. He wasn't sure he wanted to though.

…………

"Major Harris?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"There's a case in the north side of the jungle. That's our last mission here, after that we'll be heading back to Sunnydale California. If you can handle it, you'll get the rank you deserve," Professor Walsh said encouraging.

"Yes, ma'am," Major Harris automatically answered. With an expressionless gaze, he nodded to his men to follow him and they marched outside the Initiative base stationed in Africa.

Sunnydale. It had been two years since he had left. He had not heard from his old friends for a long time. He wasn't even sure they were still alive. Was this the better future the other Xander wanted him to have? Well, if his one eyed self had risked using a spell to go back in time after he had warned him never to practice magic, Major Harris thought that it must be.

**The End.**


End file.
